Mark Benhawk
'Mark David Benhawk '(born January 23rd, 1980) is an American politician, author and activist. He served as the 46th President of the United States from 2021 to 2029, becoming the youngest person to become president (at 40 years old) and the first member of the Libertarian Party to become POTUS. He previously served as 38th Governor of Oregon from 2015 to 2021. Early Life and Education Benhawk was born in Spokane, Washington with a Oregon native father and a Canadian immigrant mother. He was raised in Bend, Oregon most of his childhood. He enjoyed Video Games, Cartoons and Hunting as a kid, but he didn't start to become interested in politics until his teen years. Benhawk went to Oregon State University in Eugene, Oregon, to study Political science. He graduated college at age 22, in 2002. Governor of Oregon 2014 Governor's Run In 2013, Mark Benhawk announced he was going to run as a Libertarian for Governor of Oregon. He campaigned on lowing government spending, lowering taxes, getting rid of gun control laws, and getting rid of laws like you can't pump your own gas. Benhawk would win the Libertarian nomination for Governor easily. In the general election, he faced Incumbent Democratic Governor John Kitzhaber and Republican Dennis Richardson. Due to Kitzhaber's scandal, he was able to win narrowly with 49% of the vote, to Kitzhaber's 41% and Richardson's 8%. First Term (2015-2019) During Benhawk's first term, he lowered regulations on local businesses, made Oregon one of the most gun-friendly states in the union, repealed the pumping gas law and lowered taxes on all Oregon residents. He was a unpopular governor at first, but later he became one of the most popular governors in the union, at a 65% approval rating in 2017. 2018 Re-election In the 2018 gubernatorial election, Benhawk faced Democrat Kate Brown and the Republican Party refused to run a candidate. Benhawk would defeat Brown by 10 points, which surprised many political pundits, which thought it would be a Democratic pickup. Second Term (2019-2021) 2020 Presidential Campaign see also: 2020 U.S presidential election On April 8th, 2019, Mark Benhawk announced his candidacy for the 2020 Libertarian nomination. As he was a popular governor and was rising popularity among the Libertarian Party, he would surge in the polls. Benhawk campaigned on lowing government spending to reduce the national debt, gun rights, lowering taxes, and ending welfare benefits. His slogan would be "less government, more freedom!" In the Libertarian primaries, Benhawk would easily win the nomination against Kokesh and become the 2020 Libertarian nominee. In the general election, Benhawk would face President Trump and United States Senator Kamala Harris of California. Due to polling, Benhawk was invited to the three presidential debates. In the debates, Benhawk would attack the incumbent president on continuing the wars in Syria and Afghanistan, and supporting the Saudis in Yemen. Benhawk would call the president "a traitor" and would attack him on many foreign policy issues and economic issues such as Tariffs. Benhawk would also attack Harris a lot also, referring her as the "establishment's favorite lady". Benhawk was considered the winner of the debate by many americans, with 70% of Americans believing he went hard on Trump and Harris. On November 3rd, 2020, Benhawk was elected the first President from the Libertarian Party and the youngest president in American history (at 40). Many saw Benhawk's win as a suprise, as many believed the Democrats would win the white house. Category:Presidents of the United States